Online Tools

If Microsoft Office is the stalwart of the business world, online tools are the nimble newbies. Just as you have to know how to use venerable office programs, you also need to know how to use the latest technology to help you do your work better and faster.

Many offices still depend on Microsoft Outlook, but many more are adding Gmail and Google to their mix. Many people don’t know all the many productivity hacks that can be found using Google programs, from an add on that essentially sorts your inbox for you, to a way to set up alerts that will show you every time your name, your company name or your competitors’ names show up online. Setting up Google Alerts for every keyword that you can think of allows you to easily do competitive intelligence, and provides innovative fodder for networking. Anyone would be flattered to hear that you saw they were quoted in a prestigious industry journal — even if you didn’t actually read it yourself!

In addition, there are tools like Evernote that basically act as an online journal or scrapbook where you can save links, clippings, notes — anything — and they can be accessible anywhere.

Dropbox can allow you to send large files to clients without mucking up their inbox with the huge amount of data. It also has the benefit of being available from any computer or device.

Skype can allow you to videoconference and chat anywhere, and services like Basecamp or Glip can help teams be more productive.

Bit.ly helps you shorten links to make them easier to share, and Buffer allows you to schedule and easily post across social media platforms.

When they say “There’s an app for that,” they’re not exaggerating. These days there is an app for virtually anything that you might need, and being able to use them easily and quickly can make you much more productive — and ensure that you showcase you are up on the latest.

The best way to find them is to ask colleagues what they use. Or, browse recent articles and keep up to date on tech sites to learn what’s out there that might make it easier to do your job.

Utilizing the latest in online tools can make you more productive at work – and, just as important, show your team that you are current on the latest in browser add-ons, apps and more.